The present invention relates to an apparatus for the development processing of silver halide photographic light-sensitive material having a hydrophilic colloidal layer exposed to light.
A silver halide photographic light-sensitive material having hydrophilic colloidal layers is developed by an automatic developing apparatus, wherein, for example, a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material is conveyed with a roller conveyer into the developing bath in which sufficient amount of a developer is stocked, and is dipped for a predetermined time to be developed.
By developing this silver halide photographic light-sensitive material, effective components in the developer stocked in the developing bath is consumed. Therefore, the fatigue and the degradation of the developer occur by this exhaustion of the developer.
Also, in the case where the developer is an alkali, the developer is degraded by the fatigue caused by the oxidization by oxygen in air and/or by the neutralization reaction caused by absorption of CO.sub.2 (Carbon dioxide) gas in the air as time passes.
Methods to recover such degradation of this developer, include replenishing a developing replenisher successively or intermittently according to the quantity of developing process, as is proposed in the specifications opened in Japanese Patent Publication Open to Public Inspection Nos. 144502/1975, 62004/1979, 115039/1980 and 12645/1981.
In order to prevent oxidization by air, a prior art apparatus develops the silver halide photographic light-sensitive material by passing it through a slit-type developing tank wherein the open-mouth area is reduced.
However, in the former type wherein a developer is replenished, the components of the new developing solution and those of the developing solution thereafter are different. Therefore, strictly speaking, it is inconvenient that the photographic processings having different properties are conducted in one apparatus, with the photographic characteristics after finishing becoming unstable.
In, the latter type, the developer receives an effect from the oxidization by air even though the open mouth area of the developing bath is reduced and as well, it becomes difficult to convey the silver halide photographic light-sensitive materials smoothly by because of the passing resistance when it passes the slit.
Against such difficulties, it has been considered to develop silver halide photographic light-sensitive material by supplying the developing solution on the exposed surface of the silver halide photographic light-sensitive material without dipping it into the developing solution stocked in the developing bath. However, in this case it is necessary to supply only a small quantity of the developing solution to the silver halide photographic light-sensitive material as well as to make the conveyance of the silver halide photographic light-sensitive material smooth.
Furthermore, in the case that the silver halide photographic light-sensitive material is processed by supplying a small quantity of the developing solution, the temperature of the developing solution can be easily changed according to the increment of supply, with the result being that the developing process becomes unstable.